​Iraq War commander’s security firm probed over alleged $135mn fraud

A private security company run by an ex-special forces colonel, who famously gave a rousing speech on the eve of the Iraq War, is now under investigation by a US government watchdog for alleged fraud.

Colonel Tim Collins, who
was investigated for war crimes, now finds his firm New Century
Consulting (NCC) under the spotlight as part of an ongoing
investigation into the American defense contractor Imperatis by
the US government’s Special Inspector General for Afghanistan
Reconstruction (SIGAR), the Independent reports.

SIGAR’s remit is to “promote efficiency” and “detect
and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse” in Afghanistan.

In the process of fulfilling a Pentagon contract, nearly $130
million in “unsupported” and “questioned” costs
were paid to NCC, the SIGAR audit of Imperatis found.

SIGAR’s head John F Sopko said in a statement: “When you
accept $135 million from the government you are responsible for
knowing how the money was spent.

“This is a classic example of a prime contractor not knowing
how its subcontractors are spending hard-earned American taxpayer
dollars.”

Collins, who is a signatory to the founding principles of
controversial neo-con think tank The Henry Jackson Society, is
one of the UK’s most prominent and vocal military figures.

He is best known for delivering a rousing televised speech
shortly before the start of the 2003 Iraq War.

At the time, the Belfast-born head of NCC was Commanding Officer
of the First Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment.

More recently he has been an outspoken critic of those legal
firms which have, on behalf of Iraqi clients, pursued abuse,
murder and torture cases against the UK government from the Iraq
War era.

Collins has often accused those prosecuting such cases of
“ambulance chasing” and “bean-feasting” on
public funds.

The publicly-funded Pentagon contract, which Collins’ NCC has
been fulfilling for Imperatis, included providing a range of
services in Afghanistan.

One of the firm’s aims is to train Afghan security personnel as
part of the post-occupation Legacy East project by utilizing the
lessons learned fighting the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and
applying them to the severely destabilized Middle Eastern state.

Composed of a number of ex-military officers and former members
of Northern Ireland’s Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), Imperatis
was found by SIGAR to have not retained “sufficient
supporting documentation for a subcontractor’s [New Century
Consulting] costs.”

SIGAR advised that the US military “recover, as appropriate,
$134,552,665 in questioned costs identified in the report.”

Both NCC and Imperatis contest the findings of the audit.

Imperatis told the Independent: “We are confident that
further audit of the documentation would provide Sigar with
complete assurance that all of the expenditures billed to the US
government were incurred and claimed in accordance with the
Legacy East contract, and in each case comply with all applicable
cost principles.”

Collins told the paper: “New Century was the subcontractor to
Legacy East. Apart from that we have no privileged access to the
matter mentioned nor have we been approached by the US government
to assist or comment on the matter.”